


i say hello, you say goodbye, and then we collide again

by evelyn_hayes



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bittersweet Ending, Boyfriends, Domestic Fluff, Drinking, Fluff and Angst, Galaxy Garrison, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Post-Kerberos Mission, Pre-Kerberos Mission, Tags Are Hard, Tags May Change, Written before season 7, and i skipped the part where they're ROOMMATES, but more to the sweet side, cause plot, i guess?, im sorry, its both, so not everything's canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2019-06-24 03:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15621309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelyn_hayes/pseuds/evelyn_hayes
Summary: “Jesus, instant noodles again?” Shiro teases Adam. Adam coolly ignores him with a phantom smile. Keith decides he likes the guy. Not trust, not yet. It’s dangerous to trust easy.“Professor,” he acknowledges.Adam shakes his head. “Please, just Adam’s fine.” He’s careful with his words, like he’s wary. Most people would take offense. Keith’s not most people. This makes sense. Adam makes more sense.Shiro rolls his eyes. “Relax, baby. You’re sitting all stiff.” And then he does an incredulous thing: he kisses Adam.orr the one where Keith has to endure all of Adashi's antics and goes through several internal crises on the way.





	i say hello, you say goodbye, and then we collide again

**Author's Note:**

> The gist of it is that this entire story is told from Keith's perspective, but the story's about Shiro and Adam. It's fluffy in the beginning but hello? have we met? i will bring ANGST INTO EVERYTHING, I AM ANGST LORD 
> 
> I planned out this story before S7 came out and I'm slowly writing it out. I rather like the plot, even if it's a hot mess, so it's unlikely I'll change anything about it after my obligatory viewings of S7. I might, because I'm a finicky ass, but it's unlikely. 
> 
> I think.
> 
> Aw what the hell. Onto the story.
> 
> (also im sorry for the billie eilish quotes. i'm obsessed. you'll be seeing that from me a lot from now on...)

 

❝ isn't it lovely

all alone

heart made of glass

and mind of stone ❞

 

* * *

 

 

"You don’t look so good.”

 

Keith grunts something vaguely affirmative. Shiro laughs. Keith considers telling Shiro not to fucking laugh at him, but swearing at a senior officer in the Garrison mess hall might not be a good idea.

 

Good, bad, right, wrong. It’s all blurring in the wake of his anger.

 

“What _genius_ said there’s _one_ correct way to fly a ship?” Keith huffs. “So _what_ if I rely too much on the tertiary thrusters? It’s not like I _crashed_ the ship, like that fucking Taylor kid.”

 

That fucking _gorgeous_ Taylor kid, he almost says. He stops his loose lips in time.

 

Shiro chuckles, prodding at his pad thai. “ _Language._ So you got Iverson.”

 

“Alright, _Captain America_ . Yeah, that’s the assho--sorry, _instructor_ .” Keith nibbles at his sandwich and promptly regrets it. “Jesus, this is so bad-- _how_ do you mess up a sandwich?”

 

“Blame the ham, it’s 80% horse meat.”

 

“Eww.” Keith steals Shiro’s chopsticks and takes some of his lunch. “Why can’t we have this food in the mess hall?”

 

“Because we _pay_ for this, cadet. Every lunch. Stop stealing my food.”

 

Keith blows a lock of his hair away from his face and makes sure Shiro sees his pout. Shiro rolls his eyes.

 

Casual conversation hasn’t been present in Keith’s life for so long. He used to think that since he prefers being alone, loneliness wouldn’t bother him. It does. Being alone because Keith wants to be is different from being alone because the world doesn’t want him. Now that Keith’s had a taste of the warmth of company, he’s starving for it.  Luckily, Shiro’s been willing to give as much as Keith takes.

 

Keith’s been trying to give back. Being more open about his feelings, his past life. Starting conversations when the silence becomes a little uncomfortable. But he’s _extraordinarily_ bad at controlling social situations, and while Shiro’s willing to accomodate, the rest of the world isn’t.

 

“What’s Iverson’s deal, anyway?” Keith prompts Shiro, who sighs.

 

“Iverson’s the type of guy who sleeps with the textbook. Everything you do has to fit his expectations or risk failure. There’s not a liberal bone in his body. He’s like...uh...like that evil principal from Matilda.”

 

“Mrs. Trunchbull?” Keith’s surprised Shiro knows Roald Dahl. Most people forego the old classics these days.

 

“Yeah, her.”

 

Keith tries to snatch Shiro’s chopsticks again, but Shiro catches him. “Alright. Any chance I can redeem myself?”

 

Shiro shakes his head. “Once you’ve trashed your first impression, you’ve got no chance. Iverson won’t change his mind for a million dollars.”

 

“Will his opinion of me change if I start a fire in his class?”

 

Shiro slams his chopsticks down. “KEITH.”

 

“Who’s starting a fire?”

 

Keith looks up. There’s another officer standing over their table. Dark rimmed angular glasses, olive skin, soft brown eyes. Keith vaguely recognizes him as his Engineering instructor. Alam, was it? Aaron?

 

“Adam!” Shiro smiles so brightly Keith’s afraid his face is going to split like Heath Ledger’s Joker and scoots over to give the other instructor some room. Adam smiles back and sets his tray down. _Shin Ramen_. Also known as most of Keith’s childhood. Or what little of it there was.

 

Keith’s not sure he can trust him. But Shiro obviously does. And he seems like a good guy.

 

“Jesus, instant noodles again?” Shiro teases Adam. Adam coolly ignores him with a phantom smile. Keith decides he likes the guy. Not _trust_ , not yet. It’s dangerous to trust easy.

 

“Professor,” he acknowledges.

 

Adam shakes his head. “Please, Adam’s just fine.” He’s careful with his words, like he’s wary. Most people would take offense. Keith’s not most people. This makes sense. Adam makes more sense.

 

Shiro rolls his eyes. “Re _lax_ , baby. You’re sitting all stiff.” And then he does an incredulous thing: he kisses Adam.

 

Adam laughs, shoulders unwinding and eyes softening as he brings up his hand to cup the back of Shiro’s neck. They’re smiling into the kiss. They look so happy. Shiro kisses Adam’s neck and Adam swears, and then Shiro makes an unforgivable joke about Adam and his Adam’s Apple.

 

Keith’s never met another gay Asian man before. Keith’s never met gay men in a relationship before. Keith’s never met gay men willing to give their love to each other in public before. Not even in television.

 

It helps him feel less alone. It helps him assume the allusion that maybe, he could be loved.

 

Once they break apart, grinning at each other like they just hung the stars up together, Keith responds the only way he knows how.

 

“Really? Right in front of my salad?

 

“Dude. It’s a sandwich.”

 

“Details, details.”

  


 

**Author's Note:**

> I actually had dialogue for the adam's apple joke, here you go:
> 
> Shiro: "I missed you."  
> Adam: "Dude, it's been less than 24 hours since we last saw each other."  
> Shiro: "Less than 24 hours too much." *kisses Adam, cue Keith's existential crisis*  
> Shiro: "Mm. You've got a great apple there, Adam."  
> Adam: "Oh fucking hell, Takashi."  
> Shiro: *ugly cackling*  
> Adam: *the Office stare*
> 
> also i know nothing about flying a ship, the tertiary thrusters thing was the least stupid thing i managed to think of.


End file.
